– Jayce Hawryluk’s hat-trick goal with 4:50 left in the third period lifted the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 5-4 win over the Regina Pats on Wednesday night. Hawryluk’s goal capped a comeback from a 4-1, first period deficit for the Wheat Kings and gave Brandon a 3-0 lead in their Eastern Conference Quarter-Final series. Chad Robinson and Jesse Gabrielle also scored for Brandon while John Quenneville chipped in with three assists. Brandon goes for the sweep when they host the Pats in Game Four Friday (7:30 p.m., Westman Communications Group Place). CKLQ’s Bruce Luebke has more on his blog at http://luberslounge.blogspot.ca/
– A scary situation in the Wheat Kings’ dressing room after Wednesday night’s Game Three victory over Regina, with first star Jayce Hawryluk involved in a medical situation. Reports are that Hawryluk collapsed in the dressing room after the game, but was alert and talking when taken by ambulance to the Brandon Regional Health Centre. The Wheat Kings released a statement about 90 minutes after the contest, with GM/Coach Kelly McCrimmon saying "Jayce was taken to hospital after tonight’s game. While concerned the club believes it is not serious. Until we have more information we can not pinpoint the cause. Jayce is resting comfortably."
– A pair of former Wheat Kings turned NHL executive will be working for Hockey Canada this spring. Ron Hextall and Brad Treliving were named assistant GM’s for the 2014 World Championship team, and will assist GM Rob Lake in putting together the squad for the event.
– The Deloraine Royals captured the Tiger Hills Hockey League crown Wednesday night. Ryan Marsh scored twice to lead the Royals to a 5-3 win over the Gladstone Lakers, taking the Best-of-Five League Final three games to one. Kelsey Sunaert, Mitch Olson and Brad Twordik also scored for Deloraine. Blaine Jarvis, Dan Leslie and Tanner Waldvogel replied for the Lakers. It’s Deloraine’s first league title since 1983.
– Lauryn Keen scored her second goal of the game in overtime as the Pembina Valley Hawks downed the Westman Wildcats 3-2 Wednesday night to remain alive in the Manitoba Female Midget Hockey League’s championship series. The Wildcats got goals from Kjierstan Wallace and Kenzie Robinson while Sky Brown made 34 saves in the Westman net. The Wildcats still lead the series 2-1 with Game Four of the Best-of-Five League Final Friday night in Hartney.
– Jaycee Magwood of the Wildcats has been named the Manitoba Female Midget Hockey League’s MVP. Magwood was fourth in league scoring during the regular season with 23 goals and 43 points in 28 games. Magwood, Wildcats’ teammate Melissa Hunt and Pembina Valley’s Kate Friesen were among the players named first-team all-stars while Sky Brown of the Wildcats, Jalyn Elmes of Yellowhead and Lauryn Keen of Pembina Valley were second-team all-stars.
– The Virden-based figure skating duo of Paige Lawrence and Rudi Swiegers finished in 12th-place in the pairs competition at the World Figure Skating Championship in Japan. Lawrence and Swiegers scored 109.04 in their free skate Wednesday night and finished with a combined score of 168.88. That was just under seven points better than their overall performance at the Sochi Winter Olympics last month, where they finished in 14th-place.
– The floor final beckons for Brandon’s Isabela Onyshko at the World Cup Challenge gymnastics event in Qatar. Onyshko finished fourth in qualifying in the event Wednesday to earn a spot in the final eight. The 15-year old member of the Brandon Eagles Gymnastics Club also finished 11th in the uneven bars qualifying and 20th in the qualifying for the beam, failing to advance to the final eight in either of those events. Onyshko is wearing Canada’s colours at the international meet in the Persian Gulf that includes gymnasts from 34 different countries.
– Manitoba champs Lois Fowler and Kelly Robertson remained in the hunt for first-place at the Canadian Senior Women’s Curling Championship in Yellowknife Wednesday. Fowler improved to 8-and-1 with a pair of wins yesterday and is tied with Saskatchewan for first-place heading into their final two round-robin games Thursday. Robertson is tied for second-place in the the Senior Men’s standings after he won twice Wednesday to improve to 7-and-2, one game behind 8-and-1 Nova Scotia.
– The Tri-Star Rural High School Athlete of the Week is Shayna Mathison of the Hamiota Huskies. Mathison averaged 25 points and 12 rebounds per game this season, and earned MVP honours last weekend when she helped the Hamiota Huskies to a third straight Provincial A Girls’ Basketball Championship. The 6-foot-2 post has committed to the Brandon University Bobcats for next season.
– Another Olympic gold medalist will be visiting the Wheat City. Jill Officer will be sweeping into the Shoppers Mall, Brandon next Saturday (April 5th). Officer will be involved in a meet-and-greet from 1 – 2 p.m. Officer and teammates Jennifer Jones, Kaitlyn Lawes and Dawn McEwen captured Canada’s first Olympic gold medal in women’s curling in 16 years last month in Sochi.
– The Canadian Football League made it official Wednesday, announcing that the 2015 Grey Cup game will be played at Winnipeg’s Investors Group Field. The 103rd Grey Cup game is set for November 29th, 2015. Winnipeg also hosted the Grey Cup in 1991, 1999 and 2006.
